Chapter XXVII: Section 1: Description of the Sobat and Its Tributaries

[Sidenote: River Sobat.]

The Sobat rises on the Abyssinian plateau somewhere about east long. 36° and north lat. 7° 15′, though its source has probably never been accurately determined, and flows generally from east to west.

For the first 260 miles (approximately), as far west as the junction of the Pibor[85], it is known by the Abyssinians as the Baro, by the Nuers as the Kir, and by the Anuaks as the Upeno; from this point to its junction with the White Nile, at a point some 55 miles by river south of Kodok and 460 miles (approximately) from its source, it is called the Sobat.

In its descent from the plateau to Gambela, for the first 150 miles, it flows in a series of rapids through wooded, mountainous, and hilly country, in a rocky bed often not more than 40 yards wide. From Gambela to Finkio (15 miles) it increases in width to about 200 yards, but in the dry season is full of rocks, especially at the bends. Throughout the remainder of its journey to the Nile it meanders across an immense dead-flat alluvial grassy plain, varied here and there by extensive woods reaching down to the water’s edge, but often nothing is visible for miles save swamp and grass with numerous termite hills, and but an occasional tree. During this part of its course its width varies as a rule from 150 to 300 yards, though occasionally it narrows to 30 or 40 yards in the marshy region between Balamkun and the Pibor.

[Sidenote: Banks.[86]]

Working up stream,[87] the banks are, as a rule, firm and dry for the first 150 miles from Sobat mouth, and numerous villages are seen built actually on them. The left bank is usually higher than the right, and both banks are higher than the country in their immediate vicinity, and thus narrow swamps running parallel to the river exist well on into the dry season. These marshes are often drained by the natives through cuts in the banks in order to capture the fish in them. Above the village of Shwai the banks are alternately marshy and firm.

[Sidenote: Navigability.]

Both the Sobat and Baro, probably as far up-stream as Finkio, are navigable for steamers drawing 4½ feet of water, from the middle of May till the end of December. About the middle of the latter month the appearance of sandbanks makes navigation difficult, though it is probable a channel for small boats exists throughout the year.

[Sidenote: Fords.]

Both the Sobat and Baro are fordable at fairly frequent intervals in the dry season eastwards of the Dinka country.

[Sidenote: Current.]

The current is generally estimated at from 2½ to 3 miles per hour in flood; in the dry season (February to May) it is not more than 1 mile per hour.

The current of the Baro in flood combined with the sharp bends and occasional narrowness of the river render navigation difficult in places.

[Sidenote: Water.]

The water of the Sobat in flood is of a reddish-yellow colour, whilst that of the Baro is similar to the colour of the Blue Nile or Atbara, being like them derived from the Abyssinian hills.

The sources of supply of the Sobat are:—

(i) The southern Abyssinian hills and the rains which drain westward from them.

(ii) The vast marshes which lie between the White Nile and the Abyssinian hills, which keep the Pibor bank-full till the middle or end of January.

[Sidenote: Rise.]

The Sobat reaches its lowest level about the end of January and commences to rise about the end of April or beginning of May.

[Sidenote: Discharge.]

Petherick in April (low water), 1862, estimated the discharge of the Sobat at 120 cubic metres per second. The same authority on 5th June (after the rise had begun), 1863, reckoned the discharge at 233 cubic metres per second. For later calculations, _vide_ footnote p. 111.

[Sidenote: Adura (loop of the Baro).]

A large loop of the Baro takes off from the main stream near the village of Gadjak[88] on the south bank, and enters the Baro again some 14 miles to the east of the Sobat-Pibor junction. This river is known by the natives as the Adura. Although seemingly a large and important loop, it was found to be quite unnavigable in July, when the river was nearly full, owing to the existence of a large number of sand-banks and islands. Another loop south of the Adura is said to be formed by a stream known as the Mokwai. This has a very insignificant exit from the Baro, only some 5 or 6 miles to the east of the Adura exit, but is reported in its lower reaches to be an important stream in flood time, possibly after it is joined (as it is said to be) by the Bela river. The combined stream enters the Pibor, by native report, and, in that case, the river, followed by Major Capper for some 20 miles of its course, is probably this one.

[Sidenote: Tribes — Shilluks.]

From the junction of the river Sobat with the White Nile, for the first 30 or 40 miles up-stream, both banks of the Sobat are occupied by the Shilluks. For full description of this tribe, _see_ Chap. VIII.

[Sidenote: Dinkas.]

The Dinka tribe thence occupy both banks of the river Sobat to about 32° 16′ east, villages of first Shilluks and then Dinkas being very numerous from the Sobat mouth up to this point, which is near the village of Lajak. They are shy and suspicious, but amenable to kindness and trade.

The Dinkas of the Sobat have been worsted in the frequent forays of the more powerful Nuers into their district. They complain bitterly of the spoliation of their herds by the Nuers, and state that many of their children, now growing into manhood as Nuers, were torn from them in the constant raids of the Nuer tribe. The Dinkas, in spite of this alleged oppression, own large numbers of sheep, goats, and cattle (_vide_ details Appendix F, p. 330). The Dinkas on the Sobat are far more intelligent and energetic than their kinsmen on the White Nile, and cultivate sufficient grain and tobacco for their own needs.

For the most part the Dinka territory along the Sobat consists of open, treeless, grass plains. Fifteen to 20 miles east of Lajak the river banks are uninhabited until the small village of Ashel is reached, which is the commencement of a small tract of Anuak country, sandwiched in between the Dinkas in the west and the large and powerful Nuer tribe to the east.

[Sidenote: Anuaks (west of Nasser).]

The small section of Anuaks referred to here only occupy some 25 to 30 miles of the river bank as far as the village of Wegin, which is the boundary between them and the Nuer tribe. The different tribes hereabouts are considerably intermingled, as they appear to intermarry[89] to a large extent, and Anuaks may be found living amongst the Nuers even as far east as Nasser. Their position would not, however, appear to be a very enviable one, as the men are more or less slaves of the Nuers, and are called upon to perform many household and menial duties for their more powerful neighbours; at the same time the Anuaks appear to have no fear of entering Nuer territory.

The chief villages of the Anuaks, between Ashel and Wegin on the left bank of the river, are Yakwoik, Fatiwanyang and Shwai. A friendly Sheikh, Aiwel Wad Agwot, lives at Fatiwanyang. He is constantly to be seen at Nasser Post, and also occasionally even at Kodok.

This section of the Anuaks is a small and unimportant one; in general appearance they closely resemble the Nuers. They appear to grow very little food, barely more than sufficient for their own requirements, but at the same time have flocks of sheep and goats and a few herds of cattle.

Their country is well wooded for the most part, and, from native accounts, numerous herds of elephants constitute a very real source of danger to travelling, more especially at night time. Game is plentiful on both banks of the river in December, 1899. Very little trade has been carried on with these natives, but a few goats and sheep can be purchased for brass wire; the price being about a 6-foot length of wire for a sheep. Latterly, however, since more intimate communication with Nasser Post has been established, the demand for cloth has increased.

[Sidenote: Nuers (Sobat and baro).]

The Nuers are by far the most powerful and numerous tribe living along the Sobat river. Originally they appear, from native accounts, to have occupied tracts of country south of the Sobat in the neighbourhood of Bor and the Bahr El Ghazal, but these sections trekked north, and ousted the more weakly tribes living on the Sobat, and occupied their country. The Falangs and Bonjaks no longer exist, their territory being occupied by the Nuers. There appear to be three separate factions of Nuers at the present day occupying the Sobat valley, who, if native accounts are to be believed, are more or less at enmity with each other, owing to family disagreements. It is often difficult in consequence to get guides from one part of the country to enter that occupied by a rival section. For instance, Sheikh Jok’s people will not readily enter the territory of the Nuers in the neighbourhood of Nasser Post; whilst these again will refuse to proceed further east along the Baro than the village of Barrakwik.

The Nuer territory along the Sobat and Baro rivers extends from about east 32° 33′ to about 34° 10′. Their territory on the right bank of the Baro as far east as the Khor Garre[90] (33° 48′ approximately) belongs to the Sudan, whilst east of this khor and the whole of the left bank of the Baro belongs to Abyssinia. From Wegin village to Nasser Post the country is probably the finest occupied by the Nuers, as it is for the most part well wooded, and in places one passes through really beautiful park-like country. Villages are numerous, and several of the districts, such as Fauwel and Jurwel, are well cultivated. East of the Pibor their country bordering the Baro is a desolate marsh.

Although the huts and villages of the Nuers hereabouts are well and substantially built, the natives themselves are shy, suspicious, indolent and altogether a very low type of humanity. They appear to cultivate only such small plots of ground in the immediate vicinity of their villages as will suffice for their own requirements for perhaps six months in the year, whilst during the remainder of the year they live chiefly on fish, which, existing in great quantities, are easily speared during the dry season of the year. They do not appear to hunt at all.

Physically, the men are tall and well-built, but show little signs of muscular development, being generally long-limbed and wiry. They are all stark naked, and cover themselves from head to foot with cow dung ash, which gives them a particularly filthy appearance and renders their skin extremely rough and coarse. They make no attempt to adorn themselves, but are extremely anxious to procure brass wire with which to make for themselves bracelets extending from the wrist to near the elbow. This seems to be about their only vanity. They are all armed with spears, of which every man carries two or three. Their weapon of defence consists of an oval-shaped buffalo-hide shield. Bows and arrows they do not appear to possess.

The elder married women are as filthy as the men in appearance. They all, however, wear a leather apron or skin fastened round their waists. The younger girls and unmarried women wear no such covering, and, like the men, are quite naked.

The right bank of the Sobat near Nasser Post is densely populated as far as the junction of the Sobat and Pibor rivers, there being several large and important villages such as Kwoinlualtong, Taufot, and Ajungmir in addition to smaller ones. The left bank of the Sobat is not inhabited, as from Nasser to the Pibor a considerable portion of the country is inundated when the rivers are full.

East of the Sobat-Pibor junction, the country through which the Baro flows may be described, until Anuak territory is reached, as worthless. For the most part it consists of open treeless grass plains, which, in the vicinity of the river, are inundated for months at a time. The population is small, and confined to villages some distance apart, and absolutely no signs of cultivation are seen, except on a large island near the border of Anuak territory.

This perhaps may be explained by the fact that the Nuers in the dry season of the year occupy villages near the river banks, which are merely used as large fishing villages during the time the rivers are low; they subsist almost entirely then on the fish speared in the many pools which are formed by the receding waters of the rivers. When the rivers become full again, and the country is inundated, they withdraw to their permanent quarters further inland, where they probably merely cultivate during the rainy season of the year, between the months of May and November.

Several of the large villages to the east of the Pibor-Sobat junction, such as Taiyau, Gunjang, Gadjak and others which were teeming with life in the month of January, were deserted in July when a visit was paid by steamer to Itang.

With the Nuers of the Sobat and Baro rivers very little trade can be done, as they possess little or no grain, living chiefly on fish. They possess, however, numerous flocks of goats and sheep in the vicinity of Nasser Post, and also some magnificent herds of cattle at Ajungmir. Thirty-five goats and sheep were obtained in exchange for a cow. Large opaque white beads, about the size of a pea, are in request as articles of barter, but brass wire “No. 8” is most in demand, and a desire for cloth is beginning to rise.

[Sidenote: Anuaks or Yambos (E. of Nasser).]

The eastern Anuaks of the Baro (or Ufeno, as they call it) inhabit that portion of the river bank extending east of 34° 10′ to the mouth of the Baro river gorge at the foot of the Abyssinian hills, and the whole of their territory, with the exception of a small enclave round Itang,[91] which is leased to the Sudan Government, belongs to Abyssinia.

This tract of country is probably the most fertile anywhere along the river after it enters the plains. It is well wooded, and to a great extent free of those large expanses of swamp found lower down the river in Nuer territory. The numerous huts and hamlets, with which the river banks are dotted, are generally built close to the edge of the bank overlooking the river, usually on mounds slightly raised above the normal level of the bank. These huts are neatly built of mud and wattle with grass roofs, and are scrupulously clean and well kept. They are, as a rule, surrounded by a fence of tall reeds and grass, giving absolute privacy to the occupants. Within the enclosure so formed, in addition to several huts for the family, are the granaries, and also other enclosures for the herding of goats and sheep at night time. The interior is most carefully plastered over with mud and free of dust and dirt. The natives of this region are more advanced in ideas of civilisation than any others living along the Sobat and Baro in the plains. This is possibly due to their being in closer touch with the Gallas, with whom they trade considerably, than any of the more western tribes are.

They are a most peaceful, friendly and industrious race, and are great agriculturists. Miles and miles along the river banks are diligently cultivated by them twice a year, and splendid crops spring up from the generous soil.

Physically the Anuaks are not such a tall race as the Nuers, but their muscular development is perhaps finer. This is probably due to their more nourishing grain food all the year round, but they also supplement their grain largely with fish during the dry seasons of the year. Although they rarely seem to kill their goats and sheep for food, like the Nuers, they are extremely fond of meat, and will constantly beg a white man to come and shoot a hippopotamus for them, so that they may indulge in a real gorge.

As a rule the men are more decently clad than the Nuers, as many of them wear beautifully cured skins, as soft as chamois leather, round the loins. They are far cleaner, better groomed, and smarter looking in every way than the Nuers. A large number of the Anuaks, especially in the neighbourhood of Pokum and Finkio, wear splendid ivory bracelets on the arms. Some of these are as much as 4 to 5 inches in depth, and it is by no means uncommon to see a man with one such bracelet on the upper arm, and two somewhat smaller ones on the fore-arm.

One very curious weapon, to be seen nowhere else, is found among the Anuaks. This consists of a spear, the head of which is manufactured from a legbone of a giraffe, polished down to about 1 inch or ¾ inch in diameter, and sharpened to a fine point. These curios are obtainable for about five ½-piastre pieces.

The Anuaks would not appear to be either a courageous or warlike race like the Nuers, and seem content to merely cultivate their fields and remain at peace with their neighbours. Their spears are generally small headed, with long handles, and it is by no means unusual to see some men armed with nothing but sharp-pointed sticks hardened at the ends. Knobkerries are carried by most men. The older married women all wear skins, cured or otherwise, round the loins. Some of these are daintily picked out with a border of vari-coloured small beads. A large quantity of beads are also very commonly worn both round the waist and neck. The attire of the younger women and girls is really most attractive. In addition to a numerous accumulation of beads round the neck, they wear a large number of strings of beads round the waist of many different colours, whilst a small fringe, as it were, of generally white opaque or light blue and white beads depends in front and behind, some 2 to 3 inches in length round the body. As the girls are often very beautifully formed, and possess pleasant, laughing and occasionally really pretty faces, a group of them together forms a most charming picture of modest maidenhood.

The upper reaches of the Baro are not well cultivated, and beyond the point where the _Faidherb_ was abandoned, the population is very scanty, and little or no food is obtainable from the natives; the river banks become very stony and thickly wooded, and what little cultivation there is to be seen hereabouts is generally on the islands.

[Sidenote: Principal villages. Nasser.]

NASSER, situated on the left bank of the Sobat, 160 miles above its junction with the White Nile, is the residence of a police officer and detachment of police. It is also garrisoned by half a company of a Sudanese battalion under a British officer (January, 1904). Little trade is as yet carried on as the Nuers who live in the vicinity have not yet got over their aversion to dealings with a civilized Government.

[Sidenote: Itang (Finkio).]

By the treaty of May, 1902, the Emperor Menelek agreed to lease to the Anglo-Egyptian Government an area of about 1,000 acres in the neighbourhood of ITANG, for the purpose of forming a trading station there. Itang is on the right bank of the Baro, roughly 100 miles above Nasser, and is in the Anuak country; a station was established here in January, 1904. As, however, the site is not a very suitable one a more convenient one at Finkio further east has been adopted. The Sheikh of Finkio is named Ojilo.

Although it is not practicable for probably five or six months in the year to maintain direct steamer communication with Nasser, the post should be absolutely self supporting. Shallow draught steamers drawing say 15 inches could, however, probably reach Finkio during 10 months of the year.

In addition to grain of various kinds, cotton is also grown by the natives in small quantities, and tobacco is very commonly to be obtained. Flocks of goats and sheep are numerous; but the natives will not readily part with their live stock. Cattle are only to be seen very rarely, as the natives fear to possess these lest they should attract the cupidity of the Abyssinians.

The Anuaks are very ready to sell flour and grain in exchange for beads, more especially in the Finkio district, which is very largely populated. They also hire themselves readily as carriers.

The most popular bead is a small light blue opaque one, the only opaque species of small bead obtainable in Cairo. A string of this bead, sufficiently large to pass over the head on to the neck, will purchase from 1 to 1½ pounds of flour, and perhaps 2 pounds of grain. A fowl can also be obtained for about the same quantity of beads. Possibly white or small green opaque beads would be equally sought after, but a blue and white bead, known in East Africa as the “punda malia” (zebra), would, everywhere in these regions, be eagerly sought after by the natives. Many of the Anuaks wear these beads, though how this species has got into the country, except, perhaps, gradually from the north of Lake Rudolf, where they may have been bartered in 1898, is difficult to understand.

The best trade goods would be white, green, pale blue (all must be opaque and not glass) and “punda malia.” Beads would be the main purchasing medium for grain, and perhaps brass wire and cloth for goats and sheep.

In a short time money may be introduced—as at Kodok amongst the Shilluks—as the Gallas, being neighbours of the Anuaks, and familiar with the Maria Theresa dollar, would readily bring down goats and sheep for sale, and the Anuaks would probably soon follow suit.

Besides tapping the fertile food-producing districts of the Anuaks, trade in ivory, coffee, live stock, donkeys, and mules, and in addition, perhaps gold and iron, in smaller quantities, will spring up with the Gallas when they find a ready market for their goods.

[Sidenote: Tributaries of Sobat and Baro.]

Several more or less important streams and khors join the Baro in its upper stony region on both banks. Chief of these are the Sako on the right bank and the Bonga on left bank.

Lower down on the right bank, Khor Jokau or Garre joins the Baro by, some say, two mouths, one at Jokau about 40 miles west of Itang, the other at Machar[92] 15 miles further west, where the post to mark the Sudan-Abyssinia frontier has been erected.

The Khor Garre, which forms the boundary between the Sudan and Abyssinia in these regions, brings down a large quantity of water in flood time from the Galla hills. In the dry season water stands in pools in its bed.

For the first 20 miles from its mouth this khor is inhabited by or belongs to the Nuers, then for a few miles by the Anuaks or Yambos, whose district is called Chai, and higher up by Burun.

[Sidenote: Khor Makeir.]

About 8 miles east of the Pibor junction, Khor Makeir comes in on the right bank. This, near its mouth, is deep, with a sandy bed 30 yards wide. It has not been explored, but is believed by some to be the mouth of the Sonka, in which case it has its origin near Jebel Sonka in the Galla hills south of Kirin. Others say it is only a spill from the Baro.

[Sidenote: Tributaries on left bank. Nigol or Aluro.]

The River Nigol (Nuer) or Aluro (Anuak) enters the Baro about 17 miles below Itang. It appears to have its origin on the Abyssinian plateau, and for some 25 miles before its junction with the Baro it flows parallel to that river, at a distance often of little more than a mile. In flood time it is a most formidable obstacle, as it forms large areas of swamp. Its entry into the Baro, near the border between Anuak and Nuer territory, is a very insignificant one, and barely discernible, as it spills out into a large swamp, near the village of Methok, before it reaches the actual river, and apparently the water gradually finds its way into the river through a thick forest-growth of trees by two small channels only a few feet wide. From the point where the Adura takes off from the Baro, the banks of the latter river are thickly wooded with sycamore and other trees as far as the eastern boundary of Nuer territory.

[Sidenote: Pibor.]

The Pibor flows generally from south to north, and enters the Sobat river at a point about 25 miles above Nasser and about 200 miles from its (Sobat) mouth. It is by far the most important tributary of the Sobat. The Pibor was found (June, 1903) to be blocked by sudd immediately above the Akobo junction, and so its upper waters remained unexplored until September, 1904.[93] The greenish colour of its water would lead one to suppose that it receives its supply from vast marshes in the plain between the Akobo and the Nile, rather than from the Abyssinian plateau.[94]

The banks of the lower Pibor are, as a rule, swampy, especially at the season when the river is fullest. The adjoining country is flat and covered with grass, with but few trees, though, south of Koratong, the banks are firm and dry, and trees become general, especially on the right bank.

[Sidenote: Width.]

The waterway of the Pibor in its lower reaches is exceedingly narrow, a steamer frequently touches the reeds of either bank simultaneously. About 40 miles from its mouth, however, it widens to from 40 to 100 yards.

[Sidenote: Navigability.]

The Pibor river has not (1903) been navigated by steamer in the months of February, March, and April, during which period it appears probable navigation would be difficult, if not impossible. During the rest of the year the average depth of water is at least 10 feet.

[Sidenote: Discharge.]

The discharge at the mouth of the Pibor, calculated by Captain H. H. Wilson in October, 1901, worked out at roughly 13,500 gallons per second. The width of the river here being about 80 yards, of which about 30 yards was blocked by sudd. The maximum depth was nearly 30 feet, and the current rather more than 1 mile an hour.

[Sidenote: Route.]

There is a route over comparatively dry country from Nasser to Waratong (45 miles approximately).

[Sidenote: Inhabitants.]

The inhabitants of the lower Pibor are Nuers, whose principal villages are a group at Koratong and another at Kur, both situated on the left bank. These appear to be the permanent homes of this section (Sheikh Jok’s) of Nuers, but in the dry season they occupy other villages both north and south along the Pibor, the most important of which is Bil (right bank) near the junction of the Gelo River; during this season Nuers from other districts visit the Pibor for fishing.

The Nuers of the Pibor do not differ in any essential degree from those of the Sobat and Baro, and are just as disinclined as their kinsmen to recognise the advantages of civilisation.

[Sidenote: Trade goods.]

Dura was purchased from the late Sheikh Yowe’s (now Jok’s) people for small white and dark blue beads, not much larger than a pin’s head. A string sufficiently large to pass over the head on to the neck purchased from 1 pound to 1½ pounds of unground grain. A spear length of brass wire, about 9 feet in length, purchased a goat of average size. Coloured fancy cloth will soon be in much request.

[Sidenote: Anuaks.]

A few Anuaks are found on the right bank, these are more or less subject to the Nuers. Their Sheikh is Okwai.

[Sidenote: Tributaries of Pibor. The Agwei (Gwynn), or Neubari (Austin), or Ruzi II (Wellby), or Adjouaro (Faivre).]

The “Agwei” River joins the Pibor about 17 miles south of the Akobo junction. It was found by the Faivre Expedition (1898), by whom it was named the Adjouaro, to rise in the Southern Boma hills and to flow northwards to within a few miles of the left bank of the Akobo, and then bending westwards to flow parallel with that river to the Pibor, or, as they called it, the Adjouba (Agibba?). The Agwei was also heard of by Major Austin when marching through Boma; it was described as a big river and was named by him the Neubari. It is also probably the same as Wellby’s Ruzi II.

In September, 1904, Major Gwynn explored this branch of the Pibor in a steam-launch for 55 miles from its mouth, when further progress was arrested by heavy sudd. He describes it as a fine stream flowing between well-defined banks, averaging 3 feet above the level of the river in flood and 60 to 80 yards apart. In places, however, it had overflown its banks and flooded the adjoining country to a considerable depth. The average width of waterway, which was frequently obstructed by light sudd blocks, was 30 yards, depth 20 feet, and current 2 to 2½ miles per hour. The banks of the Agwei were stated by Anuaks to be inhabited partly by people of their own tribe and partly by Agibbas. Their description of its upper course appears to agree with the theory that it is the Neubari, and that it is connected with the Akobo, as Major Austin surmised, by the Oboth.

[Sidenote: The Akobo or Juba.]

The River Akobo or Juba, which rises in the Domme Hills (Abyssinia) forming part of the watershed between the River Omo and the Nile, about north lat. 6° 30′ east, long. 35° 45′, flows generally in a north-easterly direction, and for the first 100 miles through more or less hilly country; it then enters the plains and eventually joins the Pibor about 70 miles from its mouth.

The ill-fated Bóttego struck this river (January, 1897) about 40 miles from its source, and found it to be about 25 yards wide and about 18 inches deep, its banks being much overgrown with very high grass which impeded travelling considerably. It was found to be uninhabited for about 45 miles further west, when the first Anuak village was reached. This was the most eastern point on this river reached by Major Austin’s Expedition (1901).

The Akobo river forms the boundary between the Sudan and Abyssinia in these regions. The following interesting account of the Akobo and its inhabitants is taken from Major Austin’s Report:—

“On our journey south from Nasser, we retraced our footsteps of the previous year along the River Pibor through Nuer territory until we reached the junction of that river with the Akobo. Here we found a small colony of Anuaks settled down for the coming dry season with a view to carrying out fishing operations, and without difficulty obtained the services of two guides. For our first two marches we proceeded east along the river, the banks of which are somewhat thickly wooded with thorn bush, amidst which, here and there, we came upon small families of Anuaks enjoying a precarious kind of existence on fish and the frugal products of the woods. These natives were all without exception very timid, and generally had cleared out of their cosy little arbours before the head of the caravan had reached them. They are very poor and wretched in appearance, the men being quite naked and possessing very few adornments.

“The elderly women merely content themselves with a small goatskin worn round the waist, whilst the younger women, like the men, are devoid of covering. They lack the prosperous and smart bearing of the Ufeno (or Baro River Anuaks), and in general characteristics closely resemble those of the Gelo.

“Some 30 miles to the east of its junction with the Pibor the banks of the Akobo become generally very swampy, and the river was unapproachable at the time we were travelling along it (February). No villages were seen until we reached long. 33° 40′, where there was a small one, Bor by name, situated at the base of a single tree, surrounded on all sides by swamp. From near here a track runs in a southerly direction to Bonjak, reported to be 30 to 40 miles distant, and no water on the road.

“Settled villages become somewhat more frequent from that point until the Tedo district is reached. This is fairly thickly populated on both banks of the river, and for the first time we came across a considerable amount of cultivation. A large khor enters the Akobo from the east hereabouts, which probably has its origin in the Abyssinian highlands, whilst, from the village of Neum, a broad loop takes off from the Akobo and re-enters that river again some 5 or 6 miles further north. Up to this point the country had been chiefly open grass land, very sparsely wooded with trees, and occasional small groves of lalob, but it now became well wooded, and the swampy areas less frequent. Small villages were established at closer intervals, but the natives remained very timid and suspicious, and it was difficult in consequence to obtain the services of guides, as the larger number of the inhabitants concealed themselves on the approach of the caravan.

“The Anuak territory terminates at the junction of the Akobo and Ajibur streams, after which comes a long stretch of uninhabited country extending to the foot of the Boma hills. The district of Bula, some distance to the east, is reported by the Anuaks to be inhabited by men of a fair complexion—possibly Gallas. The Anuaks of the Akobo possess but few flocks of goats and sheep, and apparently no cattle. In addition to grain, they probably subsist to a large extent in the dry season on fish, as fish weirs and traps are occasionally met with in the river.

[Sidenote: Width, depth, and current.]

“The average width of the Akobo in its lower reaches is 20 yards, and depth 7 feet, current 3 miles an hour (February); higher up above Neum its width increases to 40 to 60 yards, and its depth diminishes to 18 inches. Its banks are generally high and steep. In its upper portions it flows over a lava bed.

[Sidenote: Navigability.]

“Small dug-out canoes are also used by the natives for travelling along the river. Navigation in a small launch would probably be quite possible as far as Neum for several months in the year. The larger Nile steamers would most likely be unable to navigate this stream owing to the extraordinary sharp curves and bends of the river, the stream when in flood being very swift. It is quite possible, however, that a powerful launch, drawing, say, 18 inches of water, might, at full flood time, be able to proceed, perhaps, as far as Melile, although extreme caution would have to be observed, for in parts the river flows over a lava bed, whilst in others, fallen trees in the river might prove dangerous.”

[Sidenote: Discharge.]

The discharge of the Akobo near its mouth was calculated by Captain H. Wilson to be 2,185 gallons per second in October, 1901. There was then a clear waterway 15 yards wide and 14 feet deep, on each side of which were belts of sudd from 20 to 30 yards wide.

[Sidenote: Ajibur, or Ruzi I.]

The Ajibur (Austin) or Ruzi I (Wellby), a small stream rising on the Boma hills, flows northwards to the Akobo and joins it on the left bank about 80 miles from its (Akobo) source. Water was standing in pools in its bed in February, 1901.

[Sidenote: Gelo River.]

The Gelo River rises in the Mocha hills (Abyssinian), situate about east long. 36°, north lat. 7° 30′, and flows generally in a westerly direction to the Pibor, which it enters on the right bank 26 miles above its junction with the Baro.

Mr. Oscar Neumann, who explored this river in 1901, considers it a very important source of supply of the Sobat, and far more so than the Akobo river, which he thinks comparatively insignificant. Mr. Neumann is strongly of opinion that after traversing Lake Tata the river divides, one branch flowing into the Pibor, as above stated, the other or others flowing northwards towards the Baro. Though Bottégo seems to have had the same opinion, Major Austin does not lend much credence to this theory.

Neumann gives the following description of the upper regions adjoining this river:—

“In Shekho I found a large river running westwards. I believed this river to be the Gelo, discovered near its junction with the Ajuba by the Italian Bóttego, an opinion which was confirmed afterwards. Travelling became very difficult here. The western slopes of the south Ethiopian plateau are cut by many deep ravines; the roads, therefore, were narrow and bad, and many of my mules became wounded and useless. As it flows westwards, the River Gelo is lined on both sides by the densest forest. I could march only about 2 or 3 miles each day, and to cover that distance the men had mostly to cut the way with axes and bush knives from morning to noon, after which the caravan was able to proceed. The inhabitants of this forest are the Mashango, who are very seldom seen, but we often found large traps made for hippopotami and waterbucks, and loops made of creepers for monkeys and other small animals going to the water. Already in Gimirra I had seen, far away to the west, a long mountain chain running from north to south, called by the Galla ‘Gurafarda’ that is to say, ‘horse’s ear,’ from a sharp double peak in the middle. It took more than three weeks from Gimirra to reach the point where the Gelo pierces the mountains, forming magnificent cascades. Some days after passing this gap, I saw from a bamboo-covered hill in the west a boundless bush and grass-covered dead flat plain, the plain of the Sobat and the beginning of the Sudan. Only a few granite hills are scattered over it. Ascending one of these I saw, far away, a large lake—Lake Tata—through which the River Gelo runs. Here we found the first villages of the Yambo or Anuak, who were the first true Nilotic people I met. They are a division of the great Shilluk tribe, which is spread over the whole Eastern Sudan, and extends southwards to the east short of Lake Victoria. The few samples I obtained of their language show that it is scarcely distinguishable from that of the Kavirondo people on the east shores of Lake Victoria, whose country I passed on my first African journey in 1894.

“The land now became more and more swampy. The Anuaks, poverty-stricken through many Abyssinian ‘razzias,’ live hidden away on small islands in these swamps. A large part of the people have migrated westward, and live in a state of semi-slavery under the protection of the more powerful Nuer, near the Egyptian fort of Nasser on the Sobat.

“Approaching Lake Tata the swamps became so numerous and deep that I turned south and marched to the village Neum, where I struck Bottégo’s route. The attempt to march along the northern bank of the Akobo failed, because we stuck fast in the swamps, where I lost many of my mules; so, after two days, I marched back to Neum and crossed the Akobo. The country on the left shore of the river, which had here a north-westerly direction, was drier.”

Major Austin, gives an interesting description of the river and country west of Lake Tata:—

“The Anuaks of the Gelo river district need very little description, and, as practically little was seen of them except when passing their villages, not much information was obtained regarding them. As compared with their compatriots on the Ufeno river, they appear to be a far less prosperous race, and, physically, might be described as an anæmic-looking tribe, probably due to the fact that the tract of country they inhabit is for months at a time one vast swamp, and unhealthy in consequence. They are more suspicious and shy than the northern section, but not really unfriendly in any way, as we had no difficulty in obtaining guides from them. They do not take the same pride in their personal appearance as those of the Upeno, and few of the men wear skins. The women are less particular also, and unhesitatingly entered the river at Patok devoid of all clothing, and washed themselves on the bank before our men. The unmarried women, like those of the Nuers, deem it unnecessary to provide themselves with any covering. Beads are worn, but not in the same quantities nor with the same taste as further north.

“The right bank of the Gelo, as far west as about east 33° 50′, is generally well-wooded some little distance from the river, but the left bank west of about east 33° 50′ is absolutely devoid of a tree or even almost of a shrub. An open treeless grass plain appears to extend south until the Akobo river is reached.

“Patok, the first village on the Gelo reached by the survey party, is one of very considerable size, skilfully concealed in a thick belt of wood, the interior of which has been cleared to a large extent. The village is enclosed by a stockade of tree trunks and branches for defensive purposes.

“Most of the large villages along the Gelo, such as the Otwol, Chiro, Oran group, Goin, and Ungela are similarly concealed inside belts of tall trees, and surrounded by stockades.

“These villages are situated some distance from the river, as the expanse of swamp bordering the Gelo prevents villages being built nearer to its banks. At the height of the rainy season it appears probable that the whole country north of the Gelo and between that river and the Baro is one vast swamp, quite impracticable for transport animals.

[Sidenote: Width and current.]

“The width of the Gelo west of Lake Tata varies as a rule from 60 to 100 yards. At its junction with the Pibor its width is not more than 30 to 40 yards, whilst its current is very swift.

“As the Gelo is followed along its banks, no other stream appears to flow into it, although several swampy khors issuing from the river are crossed, flowing in a northerly direction. These are reported to join the Bela river and to flow into the Mokwai.

[Sidenote: Cultivation.]

“Along the Gelo, beyond a small patch of cultivation on the river bank near the village of Patok, no other signs of civilization are evident, except in a few diminutive cleared spaces in the woods; no food is obtainable from these natives. That they must subsist on grain to a large extent appears to stand to reason, so it is possible their fields, like their villages, are concealed in the midst of woods, with which the country abounds. Like the Nuers and Anuaks of the Baro these natives possess small dug-out canoes for crossing the Gelo, and employ them also in their fishing operations.

“To the west of Perbong two other villages, Ametha and Otwol, are reported to exist in Anuak territory hereabouts, and these two probably depend on wells for their water supply, as they must be quite 3 to 4 miles distant from the river, and no signs of tracks leading from or to the Gelo are visible. Goats and sheep are only seen in very small numbers.

[Sidenote: Swampy nature of country.]

“In normal years it is doubtful if this tract of country can be traversed much later than the middle of April with transport animals,[95] as once the rains set in the whole country is rapidly converted into bog, through which laden animals, especially donkeys, are quite unable to travel. During the dry seasons of the year large herds of elephants roam over these grassy plains and find both food and shade in the forest growth on the north bank of the Gelo. It is to these regions the Abyssinians descend in large numbers yearly from the western edge of the plateau, on ivory hunting expeditions, and traces of recent Abyssinian encampments were on several occasions met with. Before the rains break, however, these parties return to their homes, and we were warned at Gore by Fitorari Hili that we would find the country impracticable for animals once the rains set in, and this we certainly found to be the case.”

[Sidenote: River Mokwai.]

The River Mokwai or Bela appears to flow westwards to the Pibor from the Gurafarda range of hills (Abyssinia) traversing _en route_ the marshy region between the Baro and Gelo; from the latter river it probably receives a considerable overflow. Its mouth is supposed to be about 8 miles south of the Pibor-Sobat junction, but owing to swamp it has not been accurately determined. It is said to be an important river in flood time.

[Sidenote: Khor Filus.]

The Khor Filus enters the Sobat on the left bank about 10 miles from its junction with the White Nile, the following description of this khor, the adjoining country and its inhabitants, is taken from a report by Captain H. H. Wilson, Inspector, Upper Nile Province:—

“. . . Starting on April 15, 1902, the expedition marched from the village of Gokjak (some 20 miles from the mouth of the Sobat), and met the Khor Filus at Shol Ajik, some 8 miles inland, thus saving an unnecessary long march along the khor from its mouth, which is 10 miles from the Sobat mouth. The country here is flat and uninteresting, nothing but a vast grass plain, with hardly a tree to be seen. At Shol Ajik trees were met with, the banks of the khor being thinly wooded with a small growth of red ‘talh,’ with a sprinkling of the unwelcome ‘kittr’ thorn bush. The khor at this point is some 50 to 80 yards in width, mostly, however, filled up with weeds, the real water channel being clearly marked (though practically dry) by a deep narrow bed, some 15 feet lower than the adjacent banks. On to the village of M’Yolga the same country extends—grass, with a few trees; in one place there were traces of elephants which had been there in the rainy season. Other game seen was the bastard tiang hartebeeste, which was really all the game seen in any quantity in the country. M’Yolga is a long scattered village on the right bank of the khor, and marks the limit of the Dinka tribe inland. From here onwards for many miles is uninhabited country, from Bia to Nerol being thickly wooded, in places densely, but only occasionally with any undergrowth that makes travelling difficult. Tiang hartebeeste were seen in considerable numbers along the whole route, and also quantities of waterfowl, pelicans, duck, geese, teal, and many and various kinds of crane and heron. In the vicinity of Fanyanglwel, 46 miles south of Sobat, the first signs of Nuer habitation were met with in the shape of their cattle ‘feriks,’ which are the summer residences (_i.e._, dry season, from January to May), built close to water, and constructed lightly of grass only. No regular huts or tukls were met with until reaching Riul, 7 miles further south, where the banks became low and flat, and trees only at some distance on either side. The khor is here in the rains evidently broad and shallow, and, owing to mud, probably an impassable obstacle under such conditions.

“A noticeable feature in the Nuer tukls is the superiority of their construction compared with the tukls of the Dinkas, Anuaks, and other tribes of the Sobat, their cattle tukls being in many cases marvels of constructive art, given only boughs of trees, grass, and native tools for their building. The regular solidly-built villages are placed at varying distances from the khor, probably dependent on high ground and on the nature of the soil, if suitable for the dura crops or otherwise, which are always grown in the vicinity of the rainy season tukls. Another noticeable feature, differing from the Shilluk and Dinka customs, was that the villages are not compactly built. The Shilluks and Dinkas generally build their tukls in close proximity, each village being a thick cluster of huts, the dura being sown anywhere close by. In the Nuer case, the tukls are built in twos and threes, at great intervals, probably each family being separate; the land around each homestead being sown and tilled by the dwellers therein. In the case of many Nuer villages, owing to the village being built in the woods, and the groups of tukls at intervals of 200 to 600 yards, it was impossible to estimate the size of the village without covering many square miles of country. Around the various large pools of water near Meinom, Fading, and Shit, were thick fringes of ‘Ambach’; these pools, being the chief source of supply for men and cattle in the dry season, it is only natural to have found the water so churned up and fouled by the cattle as to be nearly undrinkable. In places near these pools, where the adjacent soil was sandy, wells had been dug to obtain a cleaner supply of water. From Shit the khor continues in a southerly direction, being broad and shallow, and it is said, runs on to Bor. The expedition left the khor at Shit, and, relying on native assurances that water would be found in wells, pushed inland to the east, and marched through the main Nuer villages, which were in places very thickly dotted about, and well built. The country from Shit to the limit of the march was well wooded, chiefly with the heglig tree. The ground rose slightly, and as one got inland it became sandy and covered with fine grass, standing 2 to 4 feet high. The country also, here, struck one as being presumably fairly healthy in the rainy season, there being a complete absence of any rank vegetation. The dura crops in April were just appearing, the young shoots being about 6 inches high, and a very considerable extent of ground around each village was under cultivation.

“At Amwot-el-Sogheir, another fairly large khor was crossed; it was, however, quite dry, and the expedition camped on the further side, alongside some wells, which it was learned were the only ones to be found in this part of the district. These wells were worth noticing: dug on the sandy banks of the khor, their depth varied from 20 to 30 feet, with a diameter of about 2 feet 6 inches. Owing to the solidity of the ground, the walls of the well stood without need of revetting, and great labour must have been expended in their construction. Steps were cut in the wells on opposite sides, to enable a man to descend and ascend. In one of the wells a calf was seen, standing in the water at the bottom, having evidently fallen in. It was rescued by one of the Dinka guides, who descended the well without difficulty, and brought up the animal unhurt.

[Sidenote: Denkur.]

“From the camp an expedition was made on the 22nd to the Nuer villages in this vicinity, which were stated to be the headquarters of the chief sheikh of the Nuers of the whole country under notice, by name of Denkur. Marching through a fairly thick forest of ‘Abu Homera’ trees for an hour, and afterwards over an open grass plain for another hour-and-a-half, brought us up to the village, Keik. Standing in the centre of the village, and seen for about 3 miles off, was a conical mound of earth, well and solidly constructed by Denkur’s people as a token that Denkur was a very big man in that part of the world. It was stated that the bones of innumerable oxen were buried in the body of the mound; the cattle being slaughtered for the occasion. This act was to give greater value to the cone in the eyes of the surrounding tribes, as cattle are the most valued possessions of the tribes of the White Nile, and are practically all they live for; in fact, what religion they possess is centred in the cow. The height of this conical mound was about 50 to 60 feet, many large elephant tusks being firmly planted round the base and on the summit. The largest tusk measured 7 feet 10 inches, but of poor quality, as long exposure to rain and sun had ruined the ivory.

[Sidenote: Dress, hair, &c.]

[Sidenote: Weapons.]

“Having thus traversed as much of this country as was possible on account of water, the party returned to the Sobat by the same route, and arrived on the river bank on May 2. Owing to the extreme shyness of the Nuers, it was difficult to collect much information of their customs. Like all tribes of the Sobat, they are stark naked, and owing to their living in their own country, unmolested and out of all possibility of being in touch with civilization, it is only natural that they are sunk in barbarism and retain to the full all the inherited customs of their savage ancestors. Their hair is left to grow to a length of about 10 inches, and is stained red with the ammonia contained in the dung and water of their cattle. Their bodies (of the men) are covered with the white ash of burnt cow-dung, like the Dinka tribe. This results from the men always sleeping in separate tukls, the floor of which is several inches deep with this white ash, resulting from the perpetually burning or smouldering fire of cow-dung inside the tukl; the men actually make their bed in the ashes. The women do not thus cover themselves, but sleep on mats made of dressed cow-hide, and keep their own skins oiled and clean. The young unmarried girls, like the men, wear no covering, but the married women wear a loin cloth of whatever material is available, a leopard, gazelle, or sheep skin. The arms of the men consist entirely of spears (throwing) and shields, with the universal knob-kerry; bows and arrows are possessed by a very few—rifles they have none. It was reported that one of the big sheikhs possessed himself of a few at one time, but broke them up and made bracelets for his ladies. As I have mentioned above, the main wealth of the Nuers lies in their cattle and flocks of sheep. As the importance or otherwise of a man is gauged entirely by the number of his cattle, it follows that the quickest way to become powerful is for an individual or a village to appropriate the cattle of another individual or a village, or better still, of another tribe, and thus little raids of this kind are not infrequent.

“At Nerol another khor joins Khor Filus, by name Khor Nerol, or Chirol, which is said to connect with the village of Nyandeng, on the Sobat. Owing to lack of water, it was found impracticable to explore any distance up this khor.”